I do believe that when it comes to LinkedIn recommendations, less is more. In addition to being wary of high quantities and reciprocal recommendations, keep in mind that recruiters and business owners don’t have time to read many recommendations. Just as you should have a concise resume for hirers to review, so too should you have a concise LinkedIn profile and recommendations.

I also believe that reciprocal recommendations are a detriment. Wary recruiters and managers do look at the profiles of your “recommenders.” If you have also recommended your recommender, it raises a yellow flag, if not a red flag. Having reciprocal recommendations is similar to reciprocal links that Google used to favor for SEO rankings. Now not only is that gig up, it will work against you.

LinkedIn suggests 3 recommendations to contribute to a “100% complete” profile. LinkedIn automatically tracks this and serves up reminders for you to complete your profile, including recommendations.

How many LinkedIn recommendations do you think are ideal? The more the merrier? Quality over quantity? Please comment below.

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